This is my 7th Cruise, 2nd time with Princess who I did rate my favourite. However, not anymore. This cruise has been my worst experience ever. Very embarrassing when we have brought our friends with us and it’s there first cruise! The food in the main restaurant Bottecelli is absolutely disgusting. The presentation is the lowest I’ve ever seen. There seems to be a selection of 2-3 soups on the starter menu every night. This is a choice out of 5-6 starter choices so this leaves you with practically no choice. My friend ordered the chicken pie it was presented in a pot on a plate, no veg nothing just pastry over what you can only describe as a bowl of soup! There is a steward operating the pool bar on 16th deck by the smoking area who refused us straws for our cocktails said it was management/company policy that straws were only allowed with blended drinks! Very rude argumentative Asian guy. The ports apart from St Thomas have been very poor. We docked in Dominica and expected some nice shops but instead we had a run down shanty town with nothing to do and this was our longest stop. Today in Grenada it’s a Sunday and all is closed up. What a waste of time! A very poor cruise iTunes U and shockingly disgusting tough badly presented food! Read Less

This cruise was a disappointment. Two ports were cancelled (one third of the total) because of weather and no alternate ports were substituted thiugh it seems like they could have easily been added without a deviation from the revised route. The onboard activities were uninteresting, consisting of things like zumba classes, line dancing, and penny whistle classes. There was only one enrichment speaker, scheduled for early in the mornings, and a few talks by bridge crew. Other “enrichment” activities were sales pitches for jewelry, art, or spa offerings. The lack of activities was a real disappointment, especially given that we had eight consecutive sea days. In addition, though the ship was attractive, inside public areas lacked space where passengers could just sit and enjoy a view of the ocean. The atrium was attractive, but provided totally inadequate seating space for those wanting to watch and listen to the entertainers performing there. On the plus side, the food was quite good, and the cabin (interior) reasonably comfortable, although the shower was cramped and the shower head was too low for anyone taller than about 5’10”. Evening entertainment was adequate, although it was often difficult to find seating. This was my first cruise with Princess, and I’ll probably not be sailing with them again. Read Less

Elite member of Princess, have always enjoyed our experiences but not this time. First time I have found that I wish we had not gone at all. Embarkation was fine, cabin, while old was good except ONE plug that worked. Dining, found the food in the dining room OK but very little variety and I very much resented that I could not get brewed coffee on my coffee card until I either sent a poor server out to find it as it was not available at the Horizon Court either..Oh well, what you got was not very good anyway. Entertainment-- write that off, two male singers, two female singers, two shows and I believe there was someone who told jokes.....very little variety . That plus there were so many people coughing at times they were hard to hear. Service, lots of service people all who were very good at their jobs BUT especially in the Horizon Court I felt that more effort should have been made to disinfect the chairs, salt and pepper shakers and to keep the food area cleaner and the hand washers filled and to encourage people to use them. Shore Excursion people not nice to deal with, rude at times. Read Less

CROWN PRINCESS REVIEW We have recently completed the Crown Princess Transatlantic cruise. Unfortunately the crossing was very rough due to the effects of Hurricane Lorenzo and we missed two ports as a result. The Captain was forced to forego the Azores in order to go further south. He did manage to get us some sunny weather although it remained rocky throughout. I don’t think we will try a late summer crossing again. We have taken two spring crossings which were much smoother. Spring crossings are not subject to Hurricane season effects. The ship is definitely showing some wear but nothing to impact our enjoyment; we did hear from a crew member that the Crown is due for a refurbishment soon. Dining room meals were very good with lots of choice and excellent dining service. I was disappointed in the specialty coffee offered, very weak coffee and not the best quality. Also the pastries were tough and somewhat greasy tasting. Our room steward was excellent, cabin was cleaned promptly and well and she was very friendly; in fact we found all staff provided excellent, friendly service. We had a problem with our AC which was quickly solved. We took the cruise for the itinerary which offered some unusual ports. Favourites were Bruges, Bilbao and Lisbon. Bordeaux was disappointing, mainly because of the very long drive into the city (unless you were interested in the closer wine tours). Entertainment was just average but there were lots of trivia challenges which were very popular. We were disappointed in the production shows which seemed to have been scaled back...most of the shows were single vocalists. All was well until disembarkation. Once off the ship we encountered huge lineups for customs and after clearing customs it was a chaotic free for all. Masses of people trying to find taxis, Princess bus transfers, tour busses and virtually no signage or a Princess employee located at the customs exit to direct passengers to the proper place. There should have been staff organizing a line for each area and maintaining control of the lines to control line cutting. There were plenty of staff available on leaving the ship wishing us a good journey or a good day or warning us to hold the escalator handrails so Princess certainly cant claim staff shortage. In over forty cruises I have to say I have never experienced the like. I dont know if this is a Port Everglades problem, but Princess could have taken some initiative to help their passengers rather than leaving them in the lurch. I would like to thank the lovely porter who made the effort to get the passengers into some sort of organized line and I would also say shame on those who cut into the lines after he did so. Read Less

Princess takes great care of suite passenger so we enjoyed breakfast in Sabatini's, club class dining, special room services menu items, priority spa reservations, room service on debarkation day and many other extras. We think the cabin price is worth it. We've never complained about quality of food on our many Princess cruises and this one was no exception. In fact, we thought food on this trip was particulary good. Club Class dining each night had a special tableside dish that was delicious each time. We visited the Crown Grill and Sabatini's for diner twice each during the trip and enjoyed truly exceptional meals and service.The crew we encountered was all top notch--friendly, cheerful, attentive and professional. I would have like to have ticked five stars above but we were very disappointed about having two of six ports cancelled. The culprit was the weather which of course is out of Princess's control but the complaint is how missing these ports was handled. We happened to be on a Princess cruise in the maritime provinces of Canada during Hurricane Sandy that caused several of the eastern seaboard stops to be cancelled. Rather than just bob about until it was clear to sail south, Princess found a couple of places for us to visit while we waited. In the current case, Crown Princess merely changed course and aimed to the next stop after a cursory announcement from the captain. It seemed to us that in the case of cancelling the Azores call, we could have remained at Lisbon to have the advantage of a full weekday ashore or stopping at Madeira. Surely the captain knew before we left Lisbon that Hurricane Lorenzo would keep us from the Azores, so we could have stayed at the dock. If we couldn't, an explanation of why not would have been the courteous thing to do. Likewise, an explanation of why Madeira couldn't be a substitute would have been appreciated, especially since we got close enough to that destination to transfer a medical patient from Crown Princess to a boat sent out from Madeira. We think the passengers deserved more than silence. One other minor gripe. Our coffee card from an earlier cruise was refused as having expired. At sale, the cards are advertised as being good on later cruises for specialty coffees and there's no mention of expiration. Pretty cheap on the part of Princess to declare one has expired. Read Less

We wanted to go to Ireland so we went a few days early to do a short tour of Ireland & then were able to see countries as we made our way to do the transatlantic crossing. The ship is old but everything worked. The cruise staff was great. Would have liked to hear more updates from the captain. We had to divert around hurricane so we missed 2 ports but better to be safe. Food was good. They provided a lobster & oyster buffet one day and a prawn buffet on another sea day. All you can East ice cream & pizza. Always food available. Not impressed with the shore excursions. I need more excitement than riding around in a bus. Had an issue where the excursion was on a Sunday & nothing was open. Great ports on this itinerary. This was the easiest embarkation I've experienced. The new medallion is great. Read Less

We chose this cruise for the destinations... many Interesting ports & enjoyed what our excursions allowed us to see. Private tours in Guernsey & Liverpool MUCH better. As 1st time travelers to this area, with no knowledge of public transportation available, we booked the safe, guaranteed way of seeing the things we wanted. Many of the Princess tour buses were crowded, and my husband has very long legs, so it was a problem finding a comfortable seat for him. I'm not a fan of bus trips period. Cruise line shuttles were helpful for self guided days but the coordinating and herding of passengers was ridiculously unorganized. Veranda cabin was small, but efficient & clean. Bed too soft, and only ONE of the electrical plugs worked, so we had to take turns charging things which was annoying and Not resolved by our steward. Ship was extremely crowded, so movement was a problem with slow, crowded elevators, and the buffet a nightmare. Many areas of the ship were too HOT, including the Princess Theater, and our sleeping room. Kept the balcony door open most of the time since the A/C was ineffective. Plenty of staff around to offer assistance everywhere. Entertainment was somewhat lackluster, only a couple of really good show (disco night & Piano Guy) and 2 tasteless comedians. Was surprised there was no on-deck departure party, and the Balloon Drop party was on the 3rd night? Fun Trivia Staff in evenings at Explorers Lounge, but not much to do on sea days. Dining room crowded, hot and slow. Buffet Food not exceptional, kind like a substandard cafeteria, but I will admit to being a food snob. Hamburger, Pizza, ice cream was great on the movie deck! We really enjoyed our excursions to Guernsey, and Dublin. Blarney Castle left 45 mins late, we got stuck in traffic and then only had 1.5 hours to see, VERY disappointing. Itinerary should not have been penalized for traffic. Other tours to Glamis, Dunrobin, Dublin Castle and Book of Kels were great, and we went on our own in Dublin after the tour which was fun to have free time without being rushed. Normandy tour was the WORST, very long drive with inadequate time at stops to see the wonderful historic things available, AND the worst lunch ever!!! Tour guide had a heavy French accent, and/or something was wrong with her microphone, so we could not understand a word she said & the driver was a maniac. This was also the most expensive, and we were very disappointed. It was a beautiful, meaningful area in American history and in instead of remarking on local culture, homes, industry, etc. the entire return trip was in complete silence. Other guides had offered a wealth of information, trivia and local culture. Way too many photographers on the docks, and pictures were overpriced . Embarkation at Southampton was disorganized, and the Disembarkation at the end was much too early, but efficiently handled (8:00 am) and we had a very long wait at the airport. If I went again it would be a different way. Ship board "shopping" kind of a joke too, mostly way overpriced stuff no one really wanted. I don't go on vacation to buy stuff like that, but it seemed well attended. Spa prices were ridiculous, and the internet I paid for was spotty at best. This new "Medallion" thing still has some bugs to work out . Opened the doors and paid for things, but most featured items didn't work as advertised. My biggest complaint was the way security was handled getting on/off at ports. Staff were rude and rushed us thru like cattle. My underwire set off every sensor the whole time, and I got really TIRED of being felt up!! Sorry this is kind of negative, but I have been VERY truthful. Did not "come back new" Read Less

We chose this cruise because the ports of call included some places we had not been. WE chose Princess because the value and service are always dependable. Our expectations were met with the exception of food at dinner in the 2 regular dining rooms. It was not very good. WE had Club Dinning Class which helped because we had a dedicated MaitreD for our section who made up for the regular menu... If the food had been better the overall rating would easily have been a 4 - 4 1/2.. I guess it is the luck of the draw... Past Princess cruises have been OK.... That being the case Norweigen has changed their food dramatically and it is Great!! Princess should take a cruise from them. On the other hand, Princess had 3 shows during our 11 nite cruise that were the best cruise shows we have ever seen. They had a soprano singing pop songs choreographed like a Broadway spectacular. Ship showed a little age but not too much to seriously detract. Service was very good and embarkation and debarkation were the best we have seen. Read Less

Chose this cruise for the itinerary. We were disappointed by the ship, particularly the Horizon Café and the entertainment. The Café custo0mer areas were small and filled wit barriers which made it difficult to find your partner. The food was not up to Princess standards, they couldn't even cook an omelet without burning it and the servers for coffee and clean up were lazy and bored. The entertainment was dismal, with several groups of amateurs brought onboard at ports, poor singers and a, violinist. However, the comedian's were awesome.. Love the big outdoor screen, however the choices were not to our taste. We were bored, for the first time in 149 nights on Princess ships. Selling has increased, to the point where you couldn't enjoy dinner without being interrupted by a waiter selling drinks. The trivia was often specialized (Disney, Harry Potter) neither of us had an interest for that so we only played trivia a few times. Read Less

In all the years we have travelled this was the worst trip we’ve ever been on. We took the cruise with friends who recommended Princess . From our first contact with the cruise line I knew we had made a mistake. I tried getting information on various aspects of the cruise and had some snotty woman in California slammed the phone down on me. We booked business class tickets through Princess direct from Toronto to London on British Airways. When they went on strike, after 10 days of phoning Princess daily, they rebooked us through Iceland on a cheaper flight and pocketed the difference. There were 3500 people on a ship that should have held no more than 2500. If you found a table at breakfast you were lucky. The food was mediocre at best. The beef stroganoff I had the last night was inedible. The speciality restaurants were better. The Crown Grill was okay but Sabatini’s restaurant was fine dining. We expected entertainment similar to Royal Caribbean. Other than a few dance bands there was nothing. They nickleled and dimed us to death. They charged $16 per person to shuttle you in ports. Because the proximity of the ports to the major centres you spent an inordinate amount of time in transit leaving little time to see the cities. Every venue on the ship had something special at a “nominal charge”. The best thing I did was buy the drink package as we got drinkable coffee at the speciality areas and bottled water and sofa throughout the cruise which was available at $2 each. If you do decide to do a Princess cruise at least one passenger should take the package. For us it was worth it’s weight in gold. Was there anything good-YES -the staff in the restaurants and bars were outstanding. They were wonderful and treated everyone as family- we absolutely adored them. The guest relations people couldn’t run a bath! No point in asking them for any assistance. The stock reply was “ I’ll need to ask my Manager”. So ask her or him!! “The Manager is not available right now”.. Needless to say this was a learning experience. The best day of the entire trip was the day we disembarked! We then spent 5 days at wonderful hotel in London! This was our one and only trip with Princess Cruise lines Read Less

We chose this cruise based on itinerary. We have been on the Crown and this was our 15th cruise on Princess. We were on the 28 days version of the British Isles cruise with the transatlantic. I felt for a older ship it was in well maintained condition. They were replacing carpet in many rooms while we were about. Saw little rust and wood railings were well varnished not oxidized. I felt the food was as good as we have had in the past. We were fixed , late seating. Lamb shanks, escargot , good fish selection, pasta etc. Portions seemed larger than I have seen on other ships. Though we rarely eat in the Horizon buffet, they had oysters on the 1/2 shell a couple of times, I have never seen this. They also had large prawns a couple of times. These can be tough but were not. They also had 1/2 cold lobster one day. Again never have seen this before. Overall I would rate the food as excellent. We frequented Vines and the International café. Both were very nice, the seating area could be larger, but I believe at least Vines was added after the ship was built. The room was fine, small but did have a lager closet if you can call it that. Service was excellent, from waiters, room steward etc. Internet speed seemed Ok. I am not a big user so not one to judge. One negative was that the transatlantic turned into 8 days when we missed the Azores due to a hurricane. I like lectures on sea days and there were not as many as I would have expected on a transatlantic. Lots of lectures on someone trying to sell a service but few others. Read Less

Our group of 7 had a fantastic 2 weeks in Ireland and on the Crown Princess. From embarking to disembarking, we were always busy doing something. This cruise had 9 ports in 12 days with only 2 split days at sea. It's a cruise for active individuals. All the ports were wonderful in their own way. The lone exception was Southampton. The bus ride to London and the time able to be spent their wasnt worth it as you always felt rushed. We took advantage of all the ports that offered hop on hop off buses and just used them as city tours. We saved so much money doing this and saw the same sites, and if we wanted to get off to explore extra we could and then jump right back on the next bus....never had a problem. Food on the ship was good with lots of choices off the buffets and the main dining room was very nice. The pizza and the Salty Dog grill were also very good as always. The service on this cruise was also excellent. All the staff attendants and servers were extremely accommodating, friendly, and always warm and genuine. If there was one disappointment it was the specialty restaurants. We paid for one and had one given to us. The Crown Grill was awful and unfortunately the one we paid for. Nothing about it was good from the bread on the table to the water in the glass. No flavor in anything, presentation was extremely lacking and the service was horrible. What made it worse was that they weren't even close to being half full during a prime time dinner hour. Sabatini's was a couple notches above with the lone saving feature being the service. Our server was "right on it". She was always around without being over your shoulder. The food was good, not spectacular but light years above the Crown Grill. I wouldnt pay again for either, but I would go back to Sabatini's if offered as a perk......the Crown Grill is yours to keep. Entertainment was fine, the shows were entertaining. They were cruise ship productions but done very well. Comedy was pretty good and always packed. The entertainment in the piazza was also very good with either a group band or violinist's. We were so busy off the ship we honestly didn't spend a whole lot of time in any one venue on the ship. What we experienced was pretty good. The ship itself was fine. You can see the 13 years (2006?) of cruises building up on it and they have done some renovations in 2018. Overall it's a solid ship maybe with some touch ups or extra carpeted areas, or LED lighting needed to perk it up a bit more needed around the public areas. Everything worked, or turned on/off, or drained, opened/closed, went up or down, that was supposed to, so that's about all you can ask. Overall it was a great 2 weeks and have nothing but good things to say about the majority of our Princess manner of services. Cant wait for our next one in about 6 months on the Regal. Read Less

We chose this ship and itinerary because we wanted to go to the Normandy landing beaches. The cruise also included many ports we had not previously visited, so we were looking forward to it! The cabin was the smallest we've ever had. One chair and one tiny table, so there was no possibility of dining in the room. The bed was great and man was the shower good and hot!!! The ship was relatively easy to navigate. We enjoyed meals in the Horizon Court, Crown Grill, Salty Dog, and International Cafe. The food was fine, but was exceptional in the Crown Grill. Now let's talk about coffee. The coffee in the Horizon Court and Dining Rooms is hot brown water with a sort of nutty taste. I purchased a coffee card and was pretty happy with the specialty coffees, but had to resort to Starbuck's Instant packets and hot water in Horizon. Also the "cream" in Horizon is actually "milk." They have REAL cream in the coffee station at the International Cafe. Here's an example of the crew going above and beyond:one morning I wanted a grapefruit, but there was no grapefruit in the buffet. I asked a member of the kitchen crew and he went and found a grapefruit for me. One afternoon we wanted cookies. No cookies. I asked someone for cookies and he brought me five fresh oatmeal raisin cookies!!! The Princess excursions were hard to pick from. Many of them were either all day for about $150 or half-day for about $110. Some of the half-day tours seemed an exorbitant amount to pay just to be driven around the city. The medallions worked pretty well! Read Less

We chose this itinerary for the destinations. They were all good. Unfortunately there were some disappointing areas that need improvement. The shore excursions were well organized and mostly interesting but quite expensive. The Horizon Court dining venue was always overcrowded caused in part by guests hogging tables to read etc. also they utilize plastic dishes and glasses. Difficult to get dinner seating in the main dining rooms without sharing a table. Overall the staff were very good. We found everyone to be friendly, courteous and professional with very rare exceptions. The food we experienced was also very good with just one or two minor exceptions. There was lots of activities to engage in on board and we found most of the entertainment venues to be good. The Princess Theatre entertainment was largely disappointing but other acts around the ship caught our attention in a positive manner. The new Princess beds are very comfortable. Read Less

Never having been to Dublin, we were excited to be able to spend a few extra days in the city (prior to and after the cruise). Once on the ship, we had a terrific time. Although we totally agree with other reviews that the ship is not in perfect shape, most public areas are lovely (not public restrooms), the entertainment, service and food were great! We had anytime dining and always had a table for 7 or 7:15. Alex, our waiter was perfect and we decided to ask for him every night. The itinerary was great with only 2 sea days. Dublin - we came 2 days early and had a great time. Belfast - Viator (Irish tours) shore excursion of giant’s causeway with Belfast city - $49 per person. Tour bus met right outside to right of the terminal. They filled 2 buses and it was a great and interesting day. Greenock- we had predetermined there was a train or bus to Glasgow. As you exit the terminal, the bus company sold tickets (8 pounds round trip) and since it was raining, chose this as closer to walk to bus than train. It was an express bus and about 35 or so minute trip. When arrived in Glasgow, had to walk a few blocks to get to the main square and pedestrian streets. The train brings you closer on that end... Getting back - it was not an express and took an hour 15 - so, much longer...so give yourself plenty of time. Greenock- Viator shore excursion from thistle tours of outlander sites. Very nice tour - but please be aware you have to go outside the port gate and meet the purple clothed representative - and then walk 5-10 minutes to the bus. ALSO - there is a booth at the end or the port that sells 3 or 4 different tours. It is the same walk to their bus. So - there are options! Our tour went to clava cairns and culloden battlefield, cowdor castle and gardens, which was lovely - through inverness, along lock ness and to buelly priory. We had a great feel for the highlands. Edinburgh - take the 9 pound round trip X99 bus - it is parked at the dock - next to the princes buses. Everyone takes this bus - you do not need the on your own princess $69 transportation - they shouldn’t even offer it as it’s identical! We had prebooked the castle ticket - and walked right in (even though earlier than our specified time). If there is a short or no line for the Crown Jewels- do that first. Otherwise a long wait for much of nothing. Take the free 30 minute tour. We did wait for the gun to shoot at 1 pm - very loud. Don’t waste time to see Harry Potter hogwarts building as covered up for lots of construction and off the beaten path. Just go walk down the royal mile until you feel like walking back to the bus. It’s an amazing setting! Le harve - we took the princess shore excursion to the Normandy beaches. A true highlight to see. A lovely lunch was included at the the town by Gold beach. We collected a little sand at Omaha beach and planted a small flag at the American cemetery. It was my husband’s favorite stop. Southampton- we were going to take the ferry to Isle of Wight to see osborne house, but decided to just be lazy and walk to High Street (easy from the ship - left at end of port and right on High). There is a good long walk of shops, costa coffee and mall with medieval arch midway and other historical buildings to see along the way. We were out a few hours. Guernsey - tendered in and had an RSVP for the guernsey explorer 90 minute bus tour for 10 pounds. Walk across the street from the port to a sign that says “Stand A” - they had some open seats or email them to save a spot. Nice ride and audio. Before the bus we walked in the town streets for 45 minutes. It rained when we came back couldn’t walk to the fort/castle. Cork - toured with e-coach / Butlers - trip to blarney castle and kinsale. Great day - good weather. There was a 90 minute line to climb up and kiss the Blarney Stone and only 1 person on tour went and almost missed the bus to leave. Not the tour to do that. We walked the property and then went to the gift shop and shopping across the street. Kinsale was a sweet town and shared a fish and chips from Dino’s take away and sat in the park to eat. Disembarkation in Dublin was terrible - no taxis waiting and long lines - we used our FreeNow/My Taxi app and had a cab in 2 minutes. We knew about this from spending the 2 days before the cruise. Read Less

I had Balcony Cabin (BB). One of the smallest cabin in the cruise line industry. The bathroom need complete make over and small. They brag about their new mattress. When they where new they where good but now my mattress was lumpy and had valleys. Dinning where to begin. Dinner menu has another menu insert with added charges for food. The food was 2nd grade quality. Prime Rib was shredded compact meat. Shrimp Cocktail had 5 shrimp about 2 inches long. I thought this was a joke. The wine glasses are the smallest in the industry. Along with barely half pour at $10 plus 18% . The bottle of wine they use is about $8 in a wine store. My partner purchased a bottle for dinner to be saved for the next day only to have the waiter constantly pouring more wine. They want you to order another bottle quickly. I purchased a bottle of Evian water and rarely the waiter refilled my glass. The ships public rooms where well appointed except the main show room seating was horrible by today standards. Read Less

We where traveling with 3 other couples and had never been to Scotland or Ireland so this cruise made sense. Nice area to visit and to get out of the heat of southern FL. The highlights include, easy boarding and departing, staff being helpful most of the time. Clean room and a decent itinerary. Our Travel Agent went the extra mile in making our arrangements and helping with problems some of which we created. Island of Guernsey was a nice stop with great weather. Dublin was also great as was Scotland. If your into Scotch a must stop is the Scotch Malt Whisky Society where we tasted and learned about the “water of life” along with learning to play the bagpipes, great fun. We use a lot of Viator Tours and saved considerable money as compared to booking with the cruise line.. The Guinness Storehouse was packed with people but we all like a pint or two, while the Jameson Distillery tour was a great educational tour. Food on the cruise was marginally ok. In the main dining rooms most food was over cooked and dry and not seasoned. The buffet was not much better but the soup was good. On the other hand the Grillroom food was excellent but for a 29.00 up charge it should be Most if not all of the entertainment on board would have not made it through the 1st round of America's Got Talent they would have been XXXX out. Princess likes to nickel and dime you to death for everything. They got so cheap as not put our lemonade or Ice Tea at the beverage station. They use a paperless system which creates a cash less system on the ship, but makes it hard to check you bill at the end of cruise. We have done a fair amount of cruising and would choose anther cruise line for our next cruise this coming March Read Less

Everything was great from getting on to the ship at embarkation day it was fast, it took at least 10 minutes to go through everything. As soon as we got on the ship, our rooms was ready to go so we went to lunch food was super yummy. Then the fun began as soon as we started to sail away. We saw beautiful places all over the British Isles it was so much history and culture learning about people from the past. We loved the dining room team was super friendly they knew us so well, from every detail. We really enjoyed the Canadian beaches tour when we got to Normandy, France it was very emotional but also gave a lot of pride and great for a group of Canadians. The Crown Princess is big ship as well easy to navigate around, I love watching Movies under the stars its super relaxing and peaceful with some chills. Read Less

Choose this cruise as I wanted to to the British Isles specifically for Ireland and Scotland. First time on Princess cruised various lines prior, Norwegian RCI, celebrity, carnival. The ship is in good shape - enjoyed the various lounges around the ship. Main dinning room was average - the steak house was Good as you'd expect for an up charge restaurant. The buffet was above average in terms of selection and variety each day had theme. I was surprised that there was a large number of table staff in the buffet and that there was free beverage service - water, tea, coffee etc all brought to your table. Haven't experienced that on other lines. No line ups for omelettes they brought those to your table as well. Service was good all round the only item I noticed is that staff were selective as to whom they asked to use the hand sanitizer, I'd rather everyone be asked to do so in the buffet. The Ports were all good. we did the bus trip to Paris that was more than 5 hours on a bus for roughly 5 hours in Paris glad we did it but in hindsight would rather leave Paris to a longer land trip (pre / post) Cruise. Read Less

We wanted the UK cruise that also included Guernsey and Le Havre. The ports were mainly worthwhile, though stopping on a Sunday or Monday in September caused some unavailability of sights. (Dublin and Le Havre) Check your wish list and look at detail. We really liked our excursion from the Invergordon Port. We traveled by bus to Nairn to see the Cawdor (Macbeth fame) Castle. It is still inhabited but can be toured. We drove around the Highlands, had lunch, snd saw another castle, this one in ruins. Our guide was knowledgeable and charming snd had a Garlic rhythm and musical quality to her voice. Our ship had some issues. Only one side of the Buffet area was always open. This caused too much crowding with a ship carrying over 3000 passengers. People had to load up plates, then wander from table area to table area extending many feet away from the serving stations to find a place to sit and dine. We sometimes needed to go out on deck to find space. There were no trays provided, so you may end up going back a few times for missing items. It was most inconvenient and took too much time. It was a source of frustration and later was unhealthy, as well. People were coming and going past each other, some coughing and always breathing. My husband took ill the last say and a half. After disembarking on September 10, I learned from My CC Forum of at least 10 other passengers who got sick. There were many crew who became ill, as well. There was very little assistance as we disembarked and we had questions that went unanswered. My husband got a late bill slid under our door just 20 minutes before we were to disembark. It contained an erroneous charge. To appeal it, he went and stood in line at the Pursers desk. The clerk made him wait while he answered the phone. What happened to the customer who is in front of you??? The situation was not resolved satisfactorily. However, we were by then tardy for our bus back to Heathrow, so when we got home my husband took it up again with Visa who will address it for us. We enjoyed most of the shows, some with locals who got on in Ireland and Scotland to bring in local and traditional fare. The theater is quite small, so getting seats was sometimes difficult. The shipboard activities offered did not interest us. The food quality and selections were generally disappointing. Tucked within our menus in the main dining room was a small notice to dine in the Crown Grill instead (for a surcharge.)Steak was never a choice in the main dining room. I also missed lobster and baked Alaska. There were some nice other desserts offered, especially chocolate indulgences. Overall, it was ok, but not worth the cost to us, Princess Platinum members. Compared to our Regal Princess cruises, this one disappointed ☹️. Read Less

After reading all of the negative Reviews about the Crown Princess, British Isles itinerary, my expectations of the ship and cruise line were not high. But, my group was pleasantly surprised and we really enjoyed our trip leaving from Le Havre at the end of August. The interior room, for the price, was better than expected, the bed was very comfortable and the cabin fit our needs for three just fine. Sure it was tight but that's what you would expect for an interior room on a cruise ship. Overall, I found the food quite good, particularly in the sit-down restaurants and the Crown Grill. Sabatini's was nothing special (don't waste your money) and the buffet Horizon Court closed serving sections even at the busiest times which was inefficient when serving large numbers of people. The coffee was terrible (you have to pay for better coffee) and the internet purchase was very expensive. Both of these should be included in the price. The entertainment, overall, was quite good. The Irish comedian was very funny and the musicians (band and string ensemble) were excellent. Angela the cruise director is very personable and entertaining and the staff provides stellar service and always with a smile. I can't speak to the shore excursions as I arranged all excursions myself beforehand knowing that cruise lines overcharging for excursions. For the price, I would definitely recommend this itinerary and ship. You cover a lot of ground. Read Less

Without the outstanding service of the Bar, Michelangelo wait staff and room service I would have rated this cruise as poor. I never saw the captain walking around the ship. Most officers never said a word. One of the chef's in the 15th floor buffet was rude and harse on one occasion. My wife and I came of the ship because people with the flu were not restricted to their state rooms. Many of people on board walked off with the flu. I'm not sure why Princess stayed in Dublin for two days knowing all too well that stores only open between 11am and noon. We had it be bck onboard for 3pm. A waste of a day. I'm really not sure why other than legally we stopped at all in Lahavre because ALL the stores are closed on Monday's !!!!!!! A real of time and money. People taking the excurion to Paris did not stop at the Louvre. The bus ride was 3hrs each way. This was $ 276 CDN. Comments provided by friends we met on the cruise. ANY excursion Princess provided was offered by other tour operators for at least half the cost as Princess. Excursion prices are rediculously high. My recommendation is to do your home work. Also, go to the front desk and have your gratuities removed from your bill and provide the staff that were outstanding. Many staff members deserved a dollar from the overall pot. Read Less

I chose this cruise for the British Isles itineraries- we started in Dublin and the cruise line arranged a hotel room - WE WERE CHARGED DOUBLE FOR THE ROOM AND THEY WOULD NOT CORRECT THE ERROR - do not have them book a room. We were NOT picked up at the airport, altho pre- arranged. All tours are expensive ( this is not new) however all shuttles and transfer services were EXTRA ! Unless you opt out the daily TIP charge is $15 PER PERSON and up, depending on your room. WILL NOT BE USING THIS CRUISELINE AGAIN. The cabin is average ( had an inside room, midship) - steward service excellent - will be tipping them ! Wine tasting was excellent - $25 was reasonable and well done. Most of the entertainment was v good - a couple of the Lounge groups were mediocre. Bathrooms in the hallways are few and far between - use your suite amap The general staff were 50/50 helpful and friendly OR disinterested. Read Less

We took the British Isles cruise on Crown Princess, August, 2019. We had a really good time and enjoyed ourselves. Ship: Although not the fanciest ship around, the Crown Princess was very clean, had everything we needed and was easy to find our way around. Embarkation: We boarded in Dublin and were given our medallions and were on board in under two minutes. Excellent. Stateroom: We had an ocean view, which was very clean (Thank you, Belman) and comfortable. We pre-ordered bottled water which was waiting for us upon arrival. Excellent Dining: The food in the Horizon Court buffet was quite good, lots of variety and the service was great. The dining room food was hit and miss with some dishes being prepared perfectly and others not so much. We were tired of the menu by the end. The service was excellent. Shows: I really enjoyed the shows, especially the Irish Dreams show in Dublin port. Good fun and a departure from my everyday life. Service: This is the one area where Princess shines. The beautiful men and women from around the globe who took care of us are simply the best. They work long hours but somehow manage to do their jobs in the most competent way and do so with professionalism and a SMILE. TOP MARKS for the crew! Ports: this cruise had an excellent itinerary and I enjoyed the ports very much. Ireland, Scotland and the Normandy coast are stunning. LOCAL SHORE EXCURSIONS: We took three tours with small, local companies and they were all excellent, at a fraction of the cost of the Princess excursions....Irish Tours Tickets from Belfast, EXCELLENT, Timberbush Tours from Greenock, VERY GOOD and Wow Scotland Tours from Invergordon, SUPER EXCELLENT! Princess shore excursions were REALLY OVERPRICED and everyone was complaining about this. That having been said, I really enjoyed the excursion to the Canadian WW2 beaches and also the Edinburgh Castle and time on our own. However, the excursion called 'Best of Cork and Countryside' from Cobb was pretty bad and a terrible waste of money. What happened was that we had to shorten our time in port due to tidal concerns for Dublin the next day. No problem, this happens. The problem is that instead of changing the itinerary, they kept it the same with less time in certain spots. This resulted in 6 minutes at Charles Fort for a photo and 23 minutes in KInsale where the driver had to park a 12-minute walk from the main street which meant that we did not have time to even walk up to the main street to look around and then walk back to the meeting spot. All we had time to do was wait in a long queue for the loo. They should have just skipped this altogether and given us some time in Cork City. It just doesn't make any sense. Next our drive through Cork was basically three turns around a motorway with the guide pointing to a street saying that's where the shopping area is. Useless.... Next we were taken to lunch in a hotel in what looked like an industrial area and were taken in to a big, white, conference-like room which could have been any Best Western Hotel in any American city. No ambiance at all. They did have two guys playing some music and they brought in two kids who danced for us, which was nice but you didn't feel like you were in Ireland at all. The meal was so-so. On top of everything else, we had paid extra to be part of a small group only to have two Princess coaches with 45 people each join us at every stop, no effort was made to stagger the groups. Finally, we were taken to Blarney Castle and this saved the day. The castle and grounds are gorgeous. Princess offered us a 15% reduction on this tour because it was shortened but even with that, we paid $600 CAD for the two of us for this excursion. But most of all, it robbed us of the opportunity to properly see some of what this area has to offer. Princess needs to take a good look at their shore excursion program and fix wait ails. We DID have a great trip and for this I am grateful. I will not let one bad excursion colour my experience. Hey Princess, fix your shore excursion program and all will be well! Read Less

The British Isles itinerary looked appealing but did not live up to expectations. The ship was OK but the food was lacking in choices and most proteins were dry and tough. The water in the cabin was expensive and Princess has no multi-bottle packages available. You're better off buying water at one of the ports. Everything was nickel-dimes to death and the tours were very expensive so we booked a couple from an outside source. The stops were uninteresting and unappealing. They had shuttle buses to the town centers but charged $16 each for the short trip. Also, the cabin had a queen bed but you could only get out from one side due to the large nightstand. The photos were $25 each which is another example of their gouging. The cruise was reasonably priced but, when you add all the excursions, it becomes bloated. All in all, this will probably be our second and last Princess cruise. Read Less